One of the gravest threats facing the United States is the possible use of biological weapons by a near-peer state, rogue nation or terrorist organization. Currently there are an increasing number of pathogens suitable for biological weapons. This threat has increased due to the rapid advances made world wide in the field of synthetic biology. Advances within this field have made biological weapons easier to acquire, more lethal and able to overcome advanced medical countermeasures. To deter and defend against a future biological attack, the U.S. must work with other nations to improve the Biological Weapons Convention, bioethics training, and global health efforts to prevent the proliferation of advanced biological agents and the technology necessary to produce them.
","abstract_html":"<p>One of the gravest threats facing the United States is the possible use of biological weapons by a near-peer state, rogue nation or terrorist organization. Currently there are an increasing number of pathogens suitable for biological weapons. This threat has increased due to the rapid advances made world wide in the field of synthetic biology. Advances within this field have made biological weapons easier to acquire, more lethal and able to overcome advanced medical countermeasures. To deter and defend against a future biological attack, the U.S. must work with other nations to improve the Biological Weapons Convention, bioethics training, and global health efforts to prevent the proliferation of advanced biological agents and the technology necessary to produce them.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Griffith, Robert Andrew"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Master of Science in Defense and Strategic Studies","degree_level":"Masters","degree_discipline":"Defense and Strategic Studies","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Robert Joseph"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2012,"date_issued":"2012-01-01T08:00:00Z","date_published":"2012-01-01T08:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T03:16:23Z","subjects":["synthetic biology","the biological weapons convention","biological weapons","biodefense","biosafety","biosecurity","bioterrorism","bioethics","Defense and Security Studies"],"languages":[],"rights":["© robert andrew griffith"],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://bearworks.missouristate.edu/theses/1359","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Robert Joseph"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Griffith, Robert Andrew"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Defense and Strategic Studies"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Masters"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Science in Defense and Strategic Studies"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["synthetic biology","the biological weapons convention","biological weapons","biodefense","biosafety","biosecurity","bioterrorism","bioethics","Defense and Security Studies"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:rights","label":"Dc Rights","values":["© robert andrew griffith"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://bearworks.missouristate.edu/theses/1359"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["One of the gravest threats facing the United States is the possible use of biological weapons by a near-peer state, rogue nation or terrorist organization. Currently there are an increasing number of pathogens suitable for biological weapons. This threat has increased due to the rapid advances made world wide in the field of synthetic biology. Advances within this field have made biological weapons easier to acquire, more lethal and able to overcome advanced medical countermeasures. To deter and defend against a future biological attack, the U.S. must work with other nations to improve the Biological Weapons Convention, bioethics training, and global health efforts to prevent the proliferation of advanced biological agents and the technology necessary to produce them.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Bugs Dividing: The Impact of Synthetic Biology on the Proliferation of Biological Weapons"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Robert Joseph"],"dc:creator":["Griffith, Robert Andrew"],"dc:description.abstract":["One of the gravest threats facing the United States is the possible use of biological weapons by a near-peer state, rogue nation or terrorist organization. Currently there are an increasing number of pathogens suitable for biological weapons. This threat has increased due to the rapid advances made world wide in the field of synthetic biology. Advances within this field have made biological weapons easier to acquire, more lethal and able to overcome advanced medical countermeasures. To deter and defend against a future biological attack, the U.S. must work with other nations to improve the Biological Weapons Convention, bioethics training, and global health efforts to prevent the proliferation of advanced biological agents and the technology necessary to produce them.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://bearworks.missouristate.edu/theses/1359"],"dc:rights":["© robert andrew griffith"],"dc:subject":["synthetic biology","the biological weapons convention","biological weapons","biodefense","biosafety","biosecurity","bioterrorism","bioethics","Defense and Security Studies"],"dc:title":["Bugs Dividing: The Impact of Synthetic Biology on the Proliferation of Biological Weapons"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Defense and Strategic Studies"],"thesis:degree_level":["Masters"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Science in Defense and Strategic Studies"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T03:16:23Z"}